Mentor: Jan Sojka
Space physics
My research interests lie in the area of space physics and space weather. Space physics for me includes the ionosphere, the magnetosphere, the solar wind and the sun. Space weather consists of solar storms that are initiated at the sun, then between 8 minutes and 4 days later impact the earth. These storms impact astronauts in space, passengers and crew of transpolar flights, our technologies that depend on radio communication and GPS, power stations, pipelines, etc.
Current projects involve analysis of data from NASA satellites monitoring the sun: SDO and STEREO, that monitor the solar wind; ACE, that monitors the magnetosphere; DMSP, that monitors the ionosphere; DMSP and C/NOFS. These projects also include ground-based observatories from Poker Flat (Alaska), Resolute Bay (Canada), Sondrestrom (Greenland), Svalbard (Norway), as well as Bear Lake Observatory. These various data sets are used either as inputs or validation data sets for our USU-ionosphere models of which GAIM and TDIM are but two. The research involves understanding how solar flare/disturbance can impact and modify today’s technologies as well as their effects on society in broader ways.
Projects involving even a single data stream will provide a unique insight into space weather as well as a “4900” experience.